James McIntosh

My mother went to Chilocco Indian Boarding School and my sister graduated from Haskell Indian Institute where she was an A student. I understood the importance of getting a good education for my future and the future of my family.

The director had host families lined up for us and they mentored us. They made us feel welcomed and showed us around St. Louis, University City, and the campus. This really made a difference in the retention of students in our program. We bonded from this experience because we were all so far away from family and home. I stayed with Dr. Carter Revard. He was my sponsor and I stayed with him during my time at the Brown School. He is a wonderful person and I still reach out to him for advice on my poetry. The students I remember are Timothy Trottier, Marjorie Bighorse, Ann McSpadden, Betty Ransom, Kathryn Cunningham, Tommy Roubideaux, and Terry Fouts. During the time I was at Washington University, there was an American Indian Center in St. Louis and many of the Native people like Evelyn Volker provided support. We were also involved in the activities at Cahokia Mounds.

The professor that I still remember is Dr. Jack Kirkland. I admired and respected Dr.
Kirkland’s work as an academician; but more importantly, he was a great mentor and was committed to ensuring that the Native students succeeded. He did so much for the St. Louis community and as busy as he was, he always took the time to take us to lunch and listen to us. He never talked down to us; he listened and respected us for who we were and where we came from. In fact, all of the faculty and staff seemed to respect and understand the retention struggles Native people had, especially first generation graduate students.

At the time, my interest was in health management, so I concentrated on that. I was less concerned about the clinical classes on mental health issues. As a student, I saw no need to work as hard on classes whose content I was never going to apply to my future work. I did not want to counsel period—or so I thought. Little did I know that I would end up working as a Behavioral Health clinician and getting my Oklahoma state licensure.

While the academics of the social work program proved to be rigorous, they did not present the challenge that being away from my family did. It was leaving my daughter behind in Oklahoma that I constantly struggled with. I missed her all the time. Fortunately, since I was from Oklahoma, I could go home often to see her and that really helped my well-being. Another emotional challenge that I had to deal with was the passing of my mother just before I was to graduate. But I never felt like quitting after
her passing because I she would always tell me, “James, I am going to your graduation.” This inspired me to keep going on to finish, but it was a very low point during my time at the Brown School.

I had many high points during my time at the Brown School. One of my favorite memories is of actually meeting Kathryn Buder, the woman responsible for my being at Washington University. She had invited all of us to her home and she sat down and talked to us about the Buder program, why she thought building a scholarship program was important, and why she created it. She was interested in each of us, asking us what we wanted to do in our life after we graduated.

After I completed my MSW, I received a lot of job offers that paid more, but I was passionate about the needs of the Native people in my community. Having a MSW has allowed me to choose the jobs I want and be the best I can be in the field of social work.

My advice for those leaving home and moving to St. Louis for this program would be to first concentrate on taking care of yourself during this important transition time. Take advantage of the scenery and all the city has to offer. Go to the zoo. Go to the excellent museums. Attend musical concerts. Get involved in the community you will be living in and be aware of your surroundings. Truly think about safety and where you need to go for medical care. Get together with other Buder students and form new friendships. Volunteer if you have time. Get to know your professors and don’t be afraid to meet with them should you need advice or information. They really want to see you succeed.  Remember, many have been on your path but not all will make the contribution you can make.

Even during the challenging times—and there will be many– do not quit. Never quit. Keep on keeping on. Do your best in all you do, regardless of how trivial it appears to be at the time, and take care of yourself. Be realistic in your goals and objectives. Finally, don’t make it any more difficult than it really is. Visualize yourself graduating with your degree and receiving your honor.

I will always continue to write poetry and will continue putting together my 50 poems from 1981 to 2014, with Carter Revard providing advice. I know my journey as a MSW has inspired my writings–people I have met and those who have mentored me, and those I have mentored. Besides my poetry, I want to continue my research of Native American athletes and their contributions to sports history. I am also considering returning to teaching at a tribal community college. I will also continue to volunteer my time and efforts to assist veterans obtain their disability benefits and I will continue to help my tribal members and all Native people.